Insurance claim, water damage help

ssepple

My 81 year old Father's Bathroom was flooded when the overflow pipe failed to do its job. He lives in a Council flat. The water also reached the hall carpet.

When the insurance Assessor came they agreed to replace the ruined underlay in the hall and would send their contractor to dry out the Hall carpet, however the Assessor said the ruined lino in the bathroom was not covered as it was counted as "fixtures and fittings". When I went over to look the lino was a standard off-the-shelf roll held down by carpet tape. Are the inssurers right? Surely its no different to carpet??

clear_blu

Some insurance assessors and insurance companies have strange ideas as to what comprises 'contents'. I agree with you however, unless stuck to the floor with adhesive, as lino tiles sometimes are, I would class lino as contents.

mattymoo

Did the council supply the lino? If so, their maintenance dept should sort it out.

ssepple

>Did the council supply the lino? If so, their maintenance dept should sort it out.

No my parents put it in. However the Council were responsible for fitting (or rather, as it turned out mis-fitting) the overflow pipe sometime ago. However my dad has been stonewalled and shuffled around from dept. to dept. when he attempted to see if the Council would accept responsiblity for flood damage.

mattymoo

Reason I asked who fitted the lino was some councils provide their homes with no floor coverings. Lessens their responsibility to maintain carpets etc if they do not supply them.

In that case I would suggest the lino becomes contents. Fixtures and fittings are normally picked up by the insurer of the building (the council or their insurer). Since that is not the case here it must be contents.

Clarify with your insurers. I am sure this situation with council properties will have cropped up before and an experienced claims handler will sort it out.

Ms_Chocaholic

As the flooring in the bathroom is lino, would this not just dry out?

FlameCloud

Not if the waters got in underneath it, then you have real problems!

courtjester

ssepple wrote: »

>Did the council supply the lino? If so, their maintenance dept should sort it out.

No my parents put it in.

If the lino was supplied by your parents, then it is they that own it. The assessor clearly thinks that the lino was part of the premises supplied under the tenancy agreement (in which case it would be classed as landlords fixtures & fittings and part of the flat).

Your parents need to make clear to the assessor that the lino is (1) their property and (2) not permanently fixed to the floor and hence easily replaceable just like the carpets. It is clearly covered under their contents policy. Sounds like a misunderstanding or assumption on the assessors part.